A PENSIONER has scrapped a boat that cost his life savings after his landlord branded it an "eyesore".

Housing association tenant Mick Giff-Dowd paid é7,500 for the two-berth dinghy and dreamed of taking it out to sea.

But his hopes were dashed when the Willow Park Housing Trust took him to court under "tidy property" rules. They said the 69-year-old was cluttering his front and back garden with junk and causing a nuisance to neighbours on Hollyhedge Road, Wythenshawe.

Heartbroken Mick lost the case - and had to pay é70 to have the 15ft boat taken away for scrap. He was also forced to get rid of a number of old cars parked alongside the dinghy on his crowded drive.

Mick said: "I spent my life savings on the boat and cars, and now it is all gone. The boat cost me é7,500 and I only had it three years.

"I was hoping to get it out last year but I never got to use it."

Mick claims he is baffled why Willow Park took him before to the county court.

Vandalism

He said: "I have lived here since 1969 and never asked for any help. I have written to the trust about all the vandalism and I think they might want me out.

"Before this, I wasn't feeling my age - but now I am."

Sources at Willow Park said the boat and cars were of "no functional value" and his back garden full of rubbish.

Director of housing Len Narborough said: "We have introduced new garden regulations and tenants are keen that we enforce them fairly and get rid of eyesores like this.